A second strike capability was now also reached by both sides which was also heavily impacted by the Anti Balistic Missile Systems or AB,'s. The theory behind the ABM's was that they would shoot down any moving enemy missiles, even those with nuclear warheads. These ABM's reduce the severity of a first strike. Still neither side would be assured of winning a nuclear confrontation. Even to the side that launched the first strike, the damage sustained would be unacceptable. This reduces a first strike.
The arms race led to a massive build up of unnecessary weaponary so as to make any opponent afraid to attack. So by the lat 1960's there was again a balance of power but instead of a balance of terror. This led to the mutually assured destruction theory or MAD. This theory suggests that whoever fires the first shot would start a war in which nobody could win. This theory could be what made Krushchev not press that deadly button when it came to Cuba. .
If Krushchev had decided to go ahead and launch one of the missiles located in Cuba the globe would be turned in to a pie of poisonous, radioactive rubble. Such side had their own speculations of what they thought was going on in each other's territory but they were not totally sure. The West feared that the Soviets wanted to spread communism the East believed that the West was only out to destroy them. Each side believed in one thing however, if they other side had made weapons it may be tempted to attack even despite the fact that this would be anhilated. This fear caused each Kennedy and Krushchev to spend huge alunts of money to hide bigger and better weapons that were placed as close to the enemy as possible. Armies of spies, both East and West, worked around the clock to uncover what the other side was plotting.
The cold war was not only fought in European country's. The NATO and Warsaw Pact countries especially the USA and the Soviets supported wars and revolutions across the world playing the victor would become their ally.
